A family in North Carolina is demanding answers after their 2-year-old son died during a dental procedure that involved anesthesia at Valleygate Dental Surgery Center in Greensboro.
The boy’s parents, originally from Salisbury in Wiltshire, England, said he suffered complications while undergoing surgery for cavities. His father, David Mitchell, recalled that his son was in good health before the procedure. “They checked his heart, checked his weight, and checked everything. It was all good until they took him back there,” he told NBC affiliate WXII.
Mitchell said they only learned about the situation when nurses told them their child was already being rushed to the hospital. “We were like, so where’s our son? He was already gone in the ambulance and we were like, ‘Why didn’t you tell us?’” he said.
Describing his son as “the best child on this planet,” Mitchell said the family is now left with unanswered questions.
In a statement, the North Carolina Dental Board expressed sympathy, saying they are “deeply saddened by this tragic news” and will conduct a full investigation. The board noted that Valleygate is an independently accredited surgery center, not licensed or regulated by them, and said their probe will determine if the death was linked to sedation administered by a medical provider or improper dental treatment.
